Katara Alone
by MickieHardyGirl
Summary: Alone in the Western Air Temple, Katara must learn to survive isolated from her friends and family when Aang unexpectedly leaves her without notice to go on a spiritual journey to the spirit world. As the months roll by without a word from her boyfriend, she starts to grow angry and worried that he will never come back. Prequel to Nature versus Nurture, but can stand alone.
1. Chapter 1

_Katara Alone_

"Just a little bit farther and then I'll spend the night in town." Katara says, talking more to herself than anyone else. Not that there was anyone else to talk to. She had been alone in the Western Air Temple for over a month now and it was starting to take its toll on her mental state. She had started talking to herself out loud a couple weeks ago. Anything to fill the haunting silence that she had to endure being on her own.

Aang had left her weeks ago with nothing more than a quickly scribbled on a piece of paper. He hadn't bothered to wake her up and let her know that he was leaving. That had ticked her off quite a bit in the beginning. She would have at least liked the chance to be dropped off at the nearest port, so she could go spend time with her friends while Aang was busy doing his _Avatar duties._ It would have been nice to visit Toph or her brother or even Zuko.

She hadn't seen Zuko in ages. The two of them used to write letters back and forth constantly, but with the constant moving and the seclusion that seemed to come with being the Avatar's girlfriend, they had lost contact. It had been about seven months since she had any kind of communication with one of her best friends and she missed him greatly.

Shifting her pack onto her other shoulder, Katara continues to follow the barely visible path that lead to the Village. She hoped that Aang would be back soon. In the note that he had left her, it said that he would be back soon, he was going on a journey with one of his past reincarnations into the spirit world and it wouldn't take long. The problem was that the passage of time in the spirit world was far different than that of their world, on top of that, Aang was just bad at gauging the passing of time. He could be back tomorrow, or she could be looking at another two weeks living alone in the temple.

"I'm going to get a nice dinner at the restaurant there. Maybe even some Jasmine Tea. I'll bring some back with me. I deserve to treat myself a little." She says, rubbing her aching shoulders. Her feet were starting to hurt from walking such a long distance. "I'll get a nice hot bath in the bath houses too." When Aang was with her, the two of them would take Appa to load up with enough supplies for a couple months at a time. Now that she was alone, she had to make the trip alone, on foot. She had put it off for as long as possible, but her food supply was starting to run low. Plus, the longer she went without human contact, the more that she craved it.

By the time Katara reaches the town, it is nearing sunset. The trip had taken a lot longer than she had initially thought it would. She was glad that she had decided upon stating the night in town before she had left without the money necessary for it. Turning into the nearest hotel, Katara walks up to the young girl sitting behind the front desk. "Hello, Rasa. I would like to rent a room for the night."

"Master Katara!" The girl says, jumping up to her feet and tidying up the desk. "Of course, we will get you a room." Turning around, Rasa yells back into the office area that doubled as housing for the family who was running the place. "Mom! Lady Katara needs a room!"

A rounded woman with muscled arms comes to the front of the hotel. "Master Katara, how pleasant to see you again. We have missed you." She says, a smile spreading across her stout face. "Rasa, prepare the Honor Suit for Master Katara."

"That's not necessary." Katara shakes her head, causing her windblown hair to fall into her face. That was one thing she couldn't stand about the air temples, they all made her hair unbelievably hard to manage. "I'm perfectly at home in one of the regular rooms."

"Nonsense." The woman says as her daughter rushes out of the room with a pile of new bedding. "Someone who saved the world deserves nothing but the best."

"I- I really didn't do all that much…"

"Again, nonsense." She says, waving her large hand dismissively. "You're getting too thin, Honey. Best go next door and get yourself a bite to eat. Every stay comes with a complementary meal."

The mention of food causes Katara's stomach to grumble loudly. Blushing, Katara thanks the woman for her hospitality before leaving to get herself something to eat.

Sitting in the back corner of the small restaurant, Katara watches the people who come in and out for dinner. Some of them appear to be regulars, young men who work in the nearby mines and have no idea how to prepare a decent meal for themselves. Others appear to be travelers who happened upon this place as they were heading to their next destination. The place was homey, most everything was built from wood and stone. The smell of baked goods and meat reminded her of being back home in the South Pole. The mummer of low voices created a white noise that almost lulled Katara to sleep. It was nice to be around people again, even if they weren't directly interacting with her.

"Running away from your boyfriend again?" Katara turns to her right to see a girl with dark hair and pale skin standing next to her. She looked almost identical to the last time Katara had seen her, except her right arm was covered in tattoos. Katara didn't recognize any of the symbols, but she supposed another bounty hunter would. "He just can't seem to keep you happy."

"Hello, June." Katara says, tucking a strand of chocolate brown hair behind her ear. "What brings you this far away from civilization?"

The bounty hunter grabs a large mug of beer off of a tray that a passing waitress was carrying. "Work." June says, taking a long drag from her newly required drink. "A pirate captain paid me to bring back one of his crew members who ran off with his gold. Who knows, if the guy took enough, he might be able to buy his freedom."

Katara frowns, she had never cared much for June's mercenary style, but she had to admit, the older girl was very good at her job.

"What did he do this time?" June asks, propping her feet up on the table.

"Excuse me?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.

"What did your Fire Nation Prince do to make you leave him this time."

"Zuko isn't my boyfriend. He never was."

"I don't buy it. If you're not dating, or haven't dated, or whatever… You will eventually." She says, taking another long drink. "I know these things."

"I'm dating the Avatar." Katara says, defensively.

"I don't see the Avatar here." June says with a shrug. "Where did he go?"

"Aang's away on a spiritual journey." Katara says, as the waitress sets a large bowl of stew in front of her. The smell of the steaming meat makes her stomach start growling. Picking up a spoon, she shoves a heaping spoonful into her mouth. It was spicier than she expected, probably because the small town tried to service both the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation Travelers, but it was still extremely tasty. She quickly takes a few more bites as June continues on the with conversation.

"Isn't that why we had trouble finding him the last time that he disappeared?" She asks, finishing off her drink and wiping the foam from her thin lips. "It seems as if your boyfriend spends a lot of time in the spirit world."

"It's part of his job." Katara says, feeling the need to defend her boyfriend. "He has to do these things to keep the world in order."

June shrugs. "I thought he would spend some time with you. You know, for a guy that you keep claiming isn't your boyfriend, the Fire Lord spent an awful lot of time talking about you when he hired me to try to find his mother."

Katara nearly chokes on her soup. "We are just friends. Zuko was probably just being nice."

"Yeah… Nice." She says, rolling her eyes. "When's your Avatar boyfriend going to be back?"

Katara shifts uncomfortably. "I'm not sure. I thought he was going to be back weeks ago, but… I think its going to be at least a few more days."

June nods, her attention turning towards a game of poker happening on the other side of the room. "Well, I've got to go." She says, standing up. Leaning forward with her thin pale hands on the table she looks Katara right in the eyes. "You are going to be a lot happier when you stop running from your destiny."

Katara blinks, her jaw dropping open slightly. She tries to say something in defense of her relationship, but by the time she finds her voice, June had already disappeared into the growing crowd on the other side of the restraint. Katara eats the rest of her meal undisturbed. That night, her thoughts kept replaying the conversation she had with June. She didn't understand why it bothered her, but something about it certainly did.

Rolling onto her back, she lets out a sigh. She missed Aang, but nighttime made it easier. There had been many nights in the last year that she had gone to bed alone, because Aang was off somewhere meditating. There were some nights that she didn't think he came to bed at all. She wasn't sure if he had stayed out of not or had simply came in late after she had fallen asleep and left early in the morning before she had woken up.

He had at least been on time more meals, at least he was most of the time. There had been the occasional events in which time had gotten away from him and he would miss an entire meal. If there was one thing that she hated, it was dining alone. She wondered what her friends were doing, was Toph in the middle of yelling at her students for messing up a simple move, were Suki and Ty Lee working on an important mission for the Kyoshi Warriors, was Sokka working on another big project in the South Pole, was Zuko remembering to eat? She wished that she was with them instead of in a lonely hotel waiting for her boyfriend to come home.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Lady Katara." The man behind the counter of the shipping docks says, as he looks at her, a deep frown set on his darkly tanned, wrinkled face. "It doesn't appear that we have any letter for you."

"It's okay, Torren. I'll check back next time." Katara says, as she exits the building into the dim light of the rising sun. It had been three months since Aang had left on his journey and she had yet to hear anything from him. She had sent out a few letters to the others a month ago, but with the shifting tides and the onset of the winter months, it was making it hard for ships to enter and exit the port. She tried to use this fact to rationalize why she hadn't heard anything from her boyfriend, but the doubt still nagged at the back of her head.

A cold gust of wind blows from the ocean, sending a chill along Katara's tanned flesh. Winter would be here in a weeks' time. The ground had started frosting over last month after Katara had made it back to the temple from her monthly trip into town. It was no where near as cold as the South Pole, but the winter here brought a new set of problems. There wouldn't be food back at the temple, but thankfully she had foreseen this problem and had been stocking up, so she wouldn't have to make a trip during the worst of the storms. It was a different kind of cold here, one that left her soaking wet, unlike the one that she had grown up with that was more of a sharp bite.

Stopping at a nearby clothing store, Katara opens the door and listens to the bell that allowed the owners to know that someone had entered. She needed a new coat. She hadn't planned to be here this long. Initially, she and Aang had discussed spending the winter months in the warmth of the Fire Nation or perhaps the Earth Kingdoms. That plan had changed with Aang's absence. She had almost left last month when she went into town to restock on supplies., there had been a ship heading for the Fire Nation and she had sat on the dock for over an hour, debating climbing on board. She ultimately backed out when the thoughts of Aang coming back to an empty temple with no sign of her kept entering her head. Now she wished she had chosen differently.

"What can I get for you, Lady Katara?" A worker asks, approaching her cautiously. It didn't take long to find a coat that would be appropriate for the upcoming winter. Katara thanked the owner before heading on her way back to the temple.

She could feel the sinking feeling building up in her stomach as she started walking back towards the air temple. With each step, her anxiety seemed to get worse. She was sick of being alone. She wished that Aang would have at least left Momo with her so that she wouldn't have to be completely alone. It would be nice to have the presence of something other than her shadow to talk to.

"You'll be home soon." She says, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Not that she really considered the place _home._ More like a place that she was being forced to stay in isolation. A part of her wanted to stay in the village, but there was no way that she could afford the nightly rent of the hotel room for however long it would take for Aang to come and get her. She supposed she could try to get a room with one of the townspeople who always seemed to want her to stay with them, but she didn't want to impose. "You'll be okay. It's not for much longer. Aang will be back soon and then the two of you can go to a place with lots of people."

It was well after sunset when Katara finally arrived back to the temple. The winter didn't exactly work here the same way it did in the poles. Instead of having six months of alternating light and dark, this part of the world had days that would last longer during the summer and grow shorter during the winter. Forgetting to accommodate for this change, had resulted in Katara making the last few miles in the dark. It wasn't too bad, she had navigated in the night before, but the sound of hungry wolves in the distance had caused her to become rather uncomfortable.

It was when she was walking down the long staircase to the entrance of the air temple that she misplaced her footing. The weight of the bags attached to her body had made it nearly impossible to stop rolling. Coming to a stop on the landing, Katara stays flat on her back gasping for air as she tries to assess the damage, she had caused herself. With stinging eyes, she carefully eases herself into a sitting position. Her arms seemed to be okay, no blood, but probably bruising. Her hands were skinned from trying to stop herself from rolling. Reaching up to her head, she winces when she comes across a tender spot, pulling away her hand she looks at the thick blood that covered her fingers. It shined slightly in the moonlight. Looking down the rest of her body she seemed to be intact until she saw the back of her calf. The sight of the bloody wound almost made her puke. Dirt and twigs seemed to have impaled themselves into the wound, her pants had been ripped open and blood was starting to soak the ground underneath her.

"Shit." Katara says, using a word that she never had been too fond of, but at the moment it seemed appropriate. With shaking hands, Katara feels for bending water that should have been attached to her hip only to realize it was no longer there. Panic sets in as she quickly scans the area, struggling to see in the dark through the haze that clouded her vision. The water wasn't anywhere to be found. Taking a deep breath, she forces herself to her feet, using the wall of the cliff to keep herself upright. "Shit. Shit. _Shit."_

Leaning heavily against the stone wall, she looks in the direction of the temple's entrance. If she could make it there, she could get to the fountain and heal the gaping hole in her leg. Hobbling with all the grace of a newborn deer-cow, she makes her way across the dirt path. She struggled to keep her mind clear as the pain and blood loss invaded her mind, causing her head to spin like it did when she was younger and would turn herself in circles in what was an improper dance. Her vision began to darken, not that there was much to see anyway. She had travelled this whole way by the light of the moon, maybe that had been her first mistake.

"Yue, help me." She mummers, drawing a deep breath as she powers through the pain. Each step sent a jolt of pain through her legs and up her spine. She allowed herself to cry out, there was no one to hide her pain from. No one was here to hear her cries of pain and rush to help her. No one was here to hide the pain from while she pretended to be strong because letting herself sink into the agony would scare them.

When she tries to leave the support of the wall to cross the courtyard to the fountain, she makes it only a step before falling flat on her face. In what was probably the most demeaning and pathetic show of her life, she crawled across the stone floor, leaving a trail of blood behind her. When she finally made it to her destination she was shaking, her body covered in a thin coat of sweat mixed with dirt. Pulling herself onto the edge of the fountain, she all but falls inside. It took only seconds for her bending to kick in to save her. The soft blue hue of the glowing water made her relax as the feeling returned to her toes and the immense pain slowly started to fade. The wound was deeper than those that she had previously experienced on her own body. It took a few minutes before she was able to remove herself from her watery bed and cross the courtyard to strike up a fire.

Kicking off her pants, she twists her leg this way and that, surveying her leg for any damage that she could find. It appeared that her bending had done its job. The skin of her calf was perfectly smooth and bare of any scaring or skin breakage. Pulling off her top and jacket, she bends the water out of her clothes before going back outside to gather the supplies that she had left scattered all over the landing of the stairs. Her leg was better, but she couldn't stop shaking. Her delicate hands trembled as she picked up her bags and carried them back into the temple. Dropping her bags on the floor, she lays down on her sleeping and allowing herself to the one thing she hadn't done in years.

 _She cried._


	2. Chapter 2

_Katara Alone_

As the winter months closed in, Katara could feel herself starting to lose her mind. Being isolated was causing her to become slightly paranoid. She constantly felt as if someone was watching her. The nights in the air temple were the worst. The wind that drifted through the building made the temperature remain slightly chilly, after a couple of weeks she closed the shutters that Aang had used as a shield when the team had fallen victim to Azula's sudden attack all those years ago. The cold wasn't the only problem that the wind caused, the way that it had started to flow through the temple had caused it to sound like a woman crying out in agony.

When she had first heard the noise, it woke her out of a deep sleep she had sprinted around the temple, trying to find the woman who she expected to be severely injured. It took a few minutes to realize that it was only the wind causing the noise. Since then, she had shut off most of the temple in an attempt to smother the sound, it worked for the most part but there were still some nights that it woke her up and left her curled up in the light of the fire, reading whatever books and scrolls she could find to distract herself from the noise and the reminder that she was alone.

Some nights she would stay up, listening to the crying and her mind would drift back to the ghost story that she had been told growing up. The story had a few different versions, depending on who was telling it, but it was generally the same concept.

It happened in the Northern Water Tribe many years ago, when the world was first being discovered. A woman was awaiting the return of her husband, a fisherman who had gone out on a fishing trip to make more money for his family. What was only meant to be a three-day trip, slowly turned into weeks, then those weeks turned into months. The woman would stand at the edge of a cliff, staring at the horizon, waiting for her husbands small fishing boat to appear.

One day, a boat washed up to shore, splintered, snapped, and cracked. Everyone in the village recognized it as the boat that belonged to the fisherman who had disappeared. Unable to accept the reality of the situation, she returned to the cliff to stare out at the horizon and await his return. She refused to be moved from her spot until her love returned to her.

As the months rolled by, it started to become colder. The townspeople found her there one day, soaking wet, her long dark hair frozen to the ground. Her skin was cold and blue, her eyes wide open and covered in a thin layer of ice. They buried her on the edge of the cliff, so she could stay waiting. It's said that if you listen closely, you can hear her wailing for her lost love to return to her.

* * *

As the days passed, Katara thought more and more of this tale. Was she like the woman, awaiting a love that would never return to her? Some days she would decide that it was nothing more than a story. Aang would return to her and things would be just as they were before. He had gone on these trips before and had always returned. Other days…. Other days she wasn't so sure.

"It's been four months." Katara says, kneeling beside the river that ran by the air temple. She had woken up early that morning and had decided to go fishing. She had meat from her trip into town before the winter had set in, but she was in the mood for something that was fresh and hadn't been frozen in the corner of her small living area. "It's been four months and you still haven't come home, Aang. I've been waiting… I'm starting to wonder if you ever will come back."

As the weeks had gone on, she had closed off more and more of the temple. Now she was living in three rooms, she had moved her sleeping area further back into the temple, closer to the bathrooms where the hot springs kept the rock warm. It was far more comfortable than where her and Aang had originally set up camp during the late spring. The smaller area made her feel safer most of the time.

Bending the water around an unsuspecting fish, Katara pulls it from the water. It lands on the ground next to her, flopping around wildly as it tries to find its way back to its home. That wouldn't be the case today. She needed fresh food and it was the closest thing that she could find.

Scaling fish wasn't Katara's favorite thing to do. In fact, she hated the task. She wished that Sokka was there to do it for her. She wished that he was there, even if that meant that she would still have to do the scale the fish on her own. When they were younger, there had been many days that she wished that she was an only child. Now that she was stuck out here, in the middle of nowhere, _ALONE._ She was glad that she had him growing up. She jerks her hands as she works, taking her frustrations out on the fish.

"I can't believe you did this to me." She says, talking to the invisible person in front of her. "You just took off and left me here all alone. You said you would be back soon. You weren't even man enough to tell me what was going on."

Her frustrations rose throughout the day. She felt like a child who was throwing a temper tantrum over not getting the toy that they wanted for their birthday. She would let out frustrated groans and kick over baskets and boxes. She threw the pots and pans across the room, she laid on her back in the middle of the room and let out screams of anger. She needed to get it all out. The anger and the hurt and the loneliness were starting to overwhelm her. There was no one there to see her like this, no one to question her sanity, no one to tell her to get up, no one for her to talk to, and it was all Aangs fault.

She should have left when she had the chance. She could be at home in the South Pole, helping Sokka rebuild their community, she could have gone to Kyoshi and joined the Kyoshi Warriors, she could have gone to stay with Toph and taught water bending at the academy, she could be with Zuko in the Fire Nation. But, no… she was stuck here, alone.

* * *

Katara walks slowly through the sludge left behind by the melting slow. The mud clung to the bottom of her boots, weighing her down and slowing her down. She had left the temple early this morning, it would be her first trip back into town since winter hit. Desperately low on basic supplies, she needed to get to town as soon as she possibly could to restock. She had brought the most important stuff with her, she planned on spending a few days in town just, so she wouldn't have to be alone.

"Mater Katara, we were wondering when you would arrive." Rasa says, running up to Katara as she enters the hotel. "Avatar Aang has been here for a week now, you must be so delighted that he's back."

Katara pauses, confusion spreads across her face. "Aang? He's here?"

Rasa's looks as if she accidentally spilled a great secret that she was told she couldn't pass on. "He- He arrived here a week ago." She says, rubbing her arm, she suddenly seemed like a small child who wanted to hide behind her mother. "I thought that you were here to meet up with him."

"It's okay, Rasa." Katara says, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'm sure there was a good reason that Aang didn't tell me he was here."

Even as the words came out of Katara's mouth, she didn't believe them. She asks, Rasa where she can find the Avatar. She's informed that he had spent almost everyday in the same small hotel where she had seen June in the months that he had been gone. Her irritation at him for leaving starts to fade away as she runs to the restaurant, she was happy that her boyfriend had finally returned to her.

When Katara opens the door to the restaurant and see's Aang, her blood runs cold. He's sitting in the back corner of the restraint, surrounded by the local girls and some fans who either had followed him there or were just passing through. In his lap sat a petite girl with long curly hair, pale skin, large green eyes, and a chest double the size of Katara's. They were all laughing as Aang dramatically told a story about him and Bumi as children.

A loud pop gains the attention of everyone in the room, silence falls as everyone's attention turns to Katara and the broken water jug on the floor that she had must have accidentally busted with her bending. Mud starts to mix with the water, making a large mess on the wooden floor. "What's going on?"

Aang quickly rises to his feet, causing the girl to wildly stumble to regain her balance before she falls to the floor. "Katara!" He shouts, looking absolutely thrilled to see her. Like he hadn't just had another girl on his lap. "I've missed you so much!"

Katara holds out a hand to stop him from hugging her as he rushes across the room. "We have to talk." She says, not recognizing her own voice. The voice coming out of her was monotonous and cold. "Now."

He follows her out into the wet cold of the alley way. She didn't want everyone to see her and Aang fight. "What in the hell was that?"

"Relax, Katara." He says, holding up his hands. "I was just having a little fun."

"They said you've been back here for a week." She says, her voice starting to get a little higher. "A week and you didn't come back to get me! I thought you might be dead!"

"I'm not dead." He says, shaking his head. "I was tired and needed a break from traveling. I was only going to stay for a night, but they wanted to hear the stories and... I guess time just got away from me."

"That's not an excuse Aang!" She stomps her foot in the dirt. "You can't say that you were going to come back to me when I come here and see you with some hussy in your lap. Are you sleeping with her?"

"No, Katara, I haven't slept with her. I just met her an hour ago."

"Have you been sleeping with other girls?"

Aang doesn't answer right away, but the look on his face lets Katara know that he's guilty. She suddenly feels as if she's going to vomit. A lump rises in her throat, when Aang reaches out to her, she quickly takes a step back almost tripping over her own two feet. "How many?"

"What?" Aang asks, not hearing her over the sound of the ocean and the voices of the people wondering around the small town, oblivious to the fact that the Avatar and his girlfriend are fighting in the alleyway.

"How many?" Katara asks again, raising her voice a little higher. She keeps her head down, blue eyes focused on the mud that still clings to her boots.

"Katara, I don't- "

"How many, Aang?" She shouts, causing a few passersby to look in her direction.

"A few." He says, rubbing the back of his neck. Turning on her heel, Katara starts walking in the other direction. Tears prick the corners of her eyes, blurring her vision. "Katara, wait." He says, running after her and grabbing her arm. She shakes him off and continues to walk. "It's not that big of a deal. I'm a guy, I had needs that had to be taken care of."

Katara punches him in the face. She didn't know what overcome her, but whatever it was, was stronger than reason and her usual mild temperament. "You have needs?" She screams, holding her hands in tight fists at her sides. "I had needs! I needed my boyfriend, but he was out fucking other girls and forgot all about me. I was alone for six months!"

Aang opens his mouth to defend himself, but Katara was already running towards the docks. The tears streamed down her face as she ran, the wind from the ocean only seemed to make it worse. She needed to get out of here. She needed to get as far away from Aang as possible.

"Last call for boarding!" A man yells. "Last call for boarding to the Fire Nation."

Katara doesn't have to think about it. Her feet carry her to the ship, she pays for her ticket and goes to stand on the deck of the ship as it leaves the harbor. Some people are waving goodbye to their loved ones, but Katara doesn't have anyone to say goodbye to. Heading downstairs to her cramped room, she lays on the bed and stares at the ceiling above her. "Zuko, I'll be there soon."

 **A/N: There will probably be one or two more parts to this story. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions that we can answer in the story.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Katara Alone_

"Katara?" Zuko says, jumping to his feet as the door to his office opens wide. He hadn't seen her in over a year. Not she left with Aang after they had helped him find Ursa. She was still the Katara he remembered, but something was different about her. She looked like she was long overdue for a good night's sleep. "What are you doing here? That came out wrong." He says, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm glad to see you. I just wasn't expecting you."

"Zuko." Katara sobs, breaking into tears as she closes the distance between them. He wraps her arms around her waist as she cries on his shoulder. Her body was shaking, as the sobs wracked her body. "I- I-." Her voice cracks, unable to make the words come out of her mouth. "Can I stay?"

"Of course," He says, his hand moving to smooth the mass of curls that were tickling his face. Her hair was longer than he remembered. "you can stay as long as you want. You're always welcome here in the Fire Nation, you know that."

She doesn't answer, instead she continues to sob as Zuko leads her to the small couch in the corner of the room. She cries for what seems like hours. He sits with her, rubbing her back and continually reassuring her that whatever is bothering her would turn out okay. He tries to get her to talk about what was happening, but it's only met with more sobs. He wracks his brain for whatever could have made her so upset. Sokka was doing fine, he had received a letter from him only three days ago. Toph was thriving in the Earth Kingdom. It could have had something to do with her grandmother or maybe her dad, but surely Sokka would have mentioned that. Maybe she was having problems with Aang…

After a long while of her not answering his questions, he gives up and starts to talk to fill the silence. He talks about how Mai wouldn't talk to him after their break up over a year ago. He tells her about how his mother is adjusting to being back in the Fire Nation and how his younger half sister seems to be fitting in well at the Fire Nation Academy for Girls. He tells her about the turtle ducks, there are three families of them sharing the pond this year. He talks about how Iroh is expanding the Jasmine Dragon and just opened two more shops. Iroh would be here soon, he was coming to spend time with Zuko and would be thrilled to see that Katara was here.

She eventually stops crying and Zuko looks down at her fast asleep with her head on his chest as they laid back on the couch. If anyone walked in it would be hard to explain that it was nothing more than platonic. Rubbing her back gently, he tries to stir her awake only to get an angry grunt from the girl.

"Okay, I guess I'll carry you to the guest room." He says, laughing quietly at how childlike she was being when he tried to move her. He glances at the large clock in the corner of the office, it was just past midnight, that the hallways would be cleared of the servants and guards who might give them a second glance.

He was going to take her to the room that she had normally stayed in, but something told him that would be a bad idea. Instead, he takes her to his old bedroom. Carefully opening the door, he steps inside to lay her down on the deep red silk comforter. The room was just how he had left it all those years ago. He didn't spend much time here when he came back to the Fire Nation with Azula after he had stupidly betrayed Katara down in the crystal mines.

"Goodnight, Katara." He says, pulling the comforter up to her chin.

As he was walking out the door, he hears her voice call out to him. "Please, stay." He wasn't sure that he had heard her make the request until her wrapped hand reached out towards him. "Please."

Pushing the door shut, he goes back to the bed and takes her hand deciding that he would stay until she fell asleep. Kicking off his shoes, he lays down beside her, staying on top of the comforter. The room was a bit chilly, but he didn't mind, his bending had almost always kept him comfortable. Katara interlocks her fingers with his own. "Thank you, Zuko."

"It's nothing, Katara. Anything for the girl who saved my life." He says, giving her hand a squeeze.

* * *

The rising of the sun stirs Zuko awake early the next morning. His heart jumps into his throat when he realizes that he's not in his bed in the Fire Lord's Suite. His pulse begins to slow as his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room, his old room. Why was he here? He can see his shirt and shoes laying on the end of the bed. Going to sit up, he is stopped by the weight on his left arm. Panic rushes through him when he realizes that it's Katara who is asleep next to him. His mind jumps to the obvious and probably most dangerous conclusion, before the memory of Katara showing up that night crying comes to him.

Sighing in relief, he gently pries his arm out from underneath her, thanking Agni that he had woken up before she did. He really didn't want anyone to know that they were cuddling in their sleep. No telling what kind of trouble that would cause. He moves slowly, trying his best not to wake her as he gets dressed. Tears streaked her tanned face, letting him know that she had cried in her sleep. Whatever had gotten her upset must have been bad.

He nearly trips over her cloak and boots on his way out of the room. She must have kicked thrown them off at some point in the night. He folds them on the edge of the bed before exiting the room to do his morning mediations.

Katara opens her eyes to the sun peaking through the curtains and landing right in her eyes. Rolling onto her other side, she looks around the room. The vague memory of Zuko carrying her in here the night before comes to mind as she hides her face into the cool silk sheets. She was glad that Zuko had agreed to let her stay, even happier that he didn't push her too hard to find out what happened and why she was blubbering like a newborn.

"Lady Katara." A voice says, followed by a curt knock on the door. "Lady Katara, I have your lunch prepared for you."

"Come in." Katara says, sitting up in the bed and looking around the room. Was it already lunch time? She couldn't have possibly slept that long.

A young servant enters the room, carrying a tray full of food. "Fire Lord Zuko didn't want us to wake you, but you have been sleeping all day… He thought it was time that you ate."

Katara looks at the food that the servant had placed on the small table in the corner of the room, it looked delicious, but she didn't want to eat. "Thank you."

The servant bowed lowly before walking out of the room. Katara walks over to the table, knowing that she needed to put something in her body to nourish it. She takes a couple bites from the giant piece of bread, before the nausea hits her. Placing the bread back down on the plate, she sits down at the table and thinks about the chain of events that brought her here.

She kept wondering where she had gone wrong. What could she have done differently what would have kept Aang from cheating on her? As far as she knew, she had been a good girlfriend and a good friend to him since the day that they met. She had gone out of her way to make sure that he had everything he needed, she had stood by him through everything. Perhaps she hadn't given him the attention he wanted, the kind that he was getting from the other girls, as often as he wanted. He had never brought the subject up, but it was possible that she missed the signs. Maybe he wanted something different… What was so wrong with having her? She starts to cry again, going to the in suite bathroom she cleans herself up before going back to bed.

"They said you haven't eaten today." Zuko says, walking into the room late that night. He takes a seat on the edge of the bed. He can tell that she had been crying again, fresh tear marks trailed down her pretty face. "You need to eat something."

"I did eat." She says, rolling onto her side to face him.

"Two bites of bread don't count as eating."

Katara pulls the covers up to her chin, wrapping them closer to her body. "I'm not hungry, Zuko."

He was thankful that she had managed to find her voice again, but the fact that she wasn't eating was bothering him. He hoped that she hadn't come all the way from Agni knew where just to try to starve to death right in front of him. He wasn't going to let that happen. "Look, I haven't eaten yet. Why don't we go down into the city and find something to eat? There are some really good restaurants and food carts."

"I- I really don't feel like going into a restaurant right now." She says, her voice going up a few pitches as tears started to pool up in her eyes.

"Okay. Okay." He says quickly, not wanting her to start crying again. "I'll have them bring our dinner in here. Would you at least a broth if they made it for you?"

Katara is quiet for a long moment and Zuko thinks that she might not have heard him ask her the question. As he opens his mouth to ask her again, she gives him a small nod. He quickly rushes out into the hallway and places the order before she can change her mind. As he waits for the food to arrive, he tries asking her again about what had happened, but in only results in her tears.

She sips on her broth quietly as Zuko tells her about the current state of the Fire Nation. He hoped that she would join in on the conversation and start pointing out what he should be doing to fix the problems he was listing out for her. She remains silent, nodding every so often to something he said. At least she was getting something into her stomach, even if it was nothing more than a thin broth.

When they were done, he sat down on the bed beside her. "I'm sorry for whatever happened to you."

"It's not your fault." She replies, her voice small. Her blue eyes focus on the candlelight dancing on the bedroom wall. "It's mine."

"That can't be right." He says, shaking his head. This wasn't like her, she didn't do things that were bad enough to hurt others, nothing bad enough for her to make her so upset with herself. "What could you have possibly done?"

"I wasn't good enough." Tears start running down her cheeks, splattering on the sheets below her. She doesn't try to wipe her face, she just lets them run.

Zuko wraps his arms tightly around her as she goes into another fit of crying. His deep voice huskily whispers words of reassurance in her ear, making goosebumps appear along her skin. He promised that it wasn't her fault, that whatever happened would get better with time. She wasn't sure if she believed him, but the words were comforting.

The rising of the sun stirs Zuko awake the next morning. He rubs the heel of his hand against his good eye as he sits up in bed. He had fallen asleep in Katara's room once again. Pulling back on his shoes, he walks out of the room, nearly colliding with the maid who had come to bring Katara fresh linens. The young girl bows deeply, apologizing for disturbing him and hurriedly explains why she was there. Zuko waves her off, heading in the direction of his own room. There would certainly be talk in the kitchens today.

* * *

"It's time to get up." Zuko says, flinging back the heavy curtains to let the sunlight into his old bedroom. "You've been cooped up in here for two weeks now, it's time that you get back into the world." He pushes open the set of double doors that lead directly into his mother's garden, letting in the fresh air. He wouldn't say anything to her face, but the room was starting to stink. "We are going for a walk around the city today."

"I don't want to." Katara says, pulling the comforter over her head to block out the bright light that was pouring in through the window. She had scarcely been out of bed since he had brought her in here. She would get up to take a long soak in the tub or make use of the bathroom, but for the most part, she stayed in bed.

"I'm not asking if you want to do it." He says, trying his best to keep his voice stern, he wasn't sure if she would bother to listen to him but part of him hoped that she would. "You've been in here far too long. It's not healthy. We don't have to talk about anything you don't want to, but you will be coming out of this room."

She lets out a loud groan, burying her face into the sheets. Zuko sets a package on the end of the bed. He had a new outfit made for her after finding out that she only had a small bag that carried her belongings, he had attempted to ask her where everything else was, but that was only met with tears.

"Get dressed." He says pointedly. "I'll be back in half an hour. If you're not ready to go, I'll have the maids dress you."

Flinging the comforter down from her face, Katara gives him a death glare, but starts to get up anyway. Zuko lets out a small sigh of relief. He didn't want to fight with her to get her to leave the room and didn't really believe that any of the maids would be brave enough to try to force her to get dressed.

When he comes back to get her half an hour later, she is dressed in her new clothes. A blue outfit that closely resembled the red one that she wore on Ember Island, except that it had a sheer fabric that made a sash around her hips. Her hair was twisted into a knot on top of her head in the Fire Nation style. He gives her a small smile when she exits her bedroom.

"Let's get this over with." Katara says, adjusting her top.

Pulling the hood of his cloak over his head, Zuko takes Katara's hand pulling her towards the servants' entrance of the palace. Apparently, they would be sneaking out of the palace today instead of walking out the front door.

"I don't want everyone following us." He says, answering the question before she had the chance to ask.

They start their decent from the palace grounds to the city below them. The place was bustling with people doing their weekly shopping. Various vendors step towards the duo, offering them samples of their products. The smell of fresh baking bread floats through the air, making Katara's mouth water.

"If there's anything you want, just let me know." Zuko says, his fingers still entwined with Katara's. She wondered if he had forgotten that he was holding onto her. She didn't say anything about it, the touch of another person was comforting after spending six months alone. The tears start to prick at her eyes again, quickly blinking them away she gives Zuko a small smile. He looked like he was enjoying himself and she didn't want to ruin it for him.

They weave their way through the throngs of people, muttering apologies when they cut through those who were blocking the entire walkway with their conversations. That was one thing that annoyed Katara about those in the Fire Nation, they couldn't be bothered to move out of the way when people were trying to carry on with their own lives. "Where are we going?"

"Someone wants to see you. I promised that I would bring you by as soon as I could."

They eventually come to a stop in front of a large shop at the corner of town. _The Jasmine Dragon_ was painted in perfect calligraphy on the sign that hung above the door. Katara smiles faintly.

"There you are." Iroh says, walking out the front door of the building. "I was beginning to think that Zuko would never bring you here."

"I told you Katara hasn't been well, Uncle."

"Which is why you should have brought her here sooner." Iroh chastises as he walks over to wrap Katara up in a bear hug. He smelled of Jasmine tea and lemon, a mixture that Katara found comforting. "Tea is the cure to heartache."

"I thought tea was the cure for fevers and nausea." Zuko says, trailing behind Iroh as the man leads them back into the teashop.

"Tea cures many ailments." Iroh says, before leaning over to whisper lowly to Katara. "Unless my nephew is the one making it for you."

Katara laughs, her hand covering her mouth. "It's good to see you again, Iroh. It's truly been far too long."

"It has." He agrees as the sit down in a quiet corner of the shop. The place was mildly busy, but most of the people were in the front half of the shop, giving them some privacy. "I'm sensing that you have just been through some hardships."

Katara's eyes turn to her lap where she was wringing the fingers of her left hand with the right. "It's been a rough few months for me."

She can feel Zuko's eyes on her. She still hadn't told him about what had exactly brought her to the Fire Nation. She had tried, but she was unable to make the words come out. She couldn't tell one of her best friends how she had screwed up and made Aang completely bored of her. How she had failed in the relationship. She didn't want him to look at her differently.

Iroh waves over a waitress who sets down a hot cup of tea in front of Katara. Lifting the cup from its saucer, she takes a long sip and feels her body begin to relax. Iroh really did make the best tea that she had ever head.

"It's easy to give into despair." The older man says, studying Katara's face. "The trouble is that when you slip down that road, you are giving into your lowest instincts. You need to hold onto hope."

Katara nods, the tears slipping down her face once more. She hated herself for crying. Maybe that stupid play that they had seen all those years ago was right about her… She jumps slightly when she feels Zuko's hand on top of her own. Taking a deep breath, she lets out the words that she had been holding in for two weeks. "Aang cheated on me."

Zuko chokes on his tea. She puts her hand on his back as he coughs, trying to fill his lungs with air. "Wh-what?" He asks, his voice scratchy. He reaches up to wipe the corners of his eyes. "When?"

Taking another long drink of her tea, she tries to detach from her emotions, so she can tell the story. She tells them about how Aang left her alone, about how she had fallen and hurt herself, about how she felt that she was going crazy when she talked to herself. She recalled the conversation with June and how she mentioned accepting her destiny. She told them about how Aang and how she had caught him with another girl and how she wasn't the only one.

The two men remained silent throughout the whole tale. She could feel the anger radiating off Zuko, a feeling that was almost electric. His hands were clinched into tight fists, his jaw locked. It was silent for a long time before Iroh broke the silence. "Destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out. But if you keep an open mind and an open heart, I promise you will find your own destiny someday."

Neither one of them notice that Iroh was looking at their interlocked fingers as he spoke.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, don't forget to drop a comment. They mean the world to me and motivate me to write more. There is a lot more to be said while they are in the city, but I felt that it would make the chapter too long. Would you be okay with longer chapters or would you want to keep them about the same? How do you feel about Katara and Zuko's relationship? Are they getting too close, too soon?**


	4. Chapter 4

_Katara Alone_

 _ **Warning: Some themes of suicide. Skip between the first and second page breaks if you don't want to read it.**_

Zuko holds onto Katara's hand as the venture around the city. Today was the first day of the Festival of Lightswhich was one of the reasons that Zuko had chosen today to be the day that Katara needed to come back and join the world of the living. He hoped that the festivities would cheer her up and it appeared to be working. She was eating a pastry that he had bought her from one of the carts that lined the streets, it wasn't the best food for her to be eating, but he figured it was better than nothing.

His thoughts kept drifting back to what Katara had reviled when they were with Iroh. It was hard for him to comprehend why Aang would ever do such a thing to her. When they had left the Fire Nation over a year ago, they had seemed so in love. Aang practically worshiped the ground that she walked on, what had changed? A part of him wanted to go hunt down the Avatar and make him pay for hurting Katara the way he had, but the other part didn't want to leave her alone.

" _I wasn't good enough."_ That what she had said when he had initially questioned what happened. The thought made his blood boil.

"Oh, Zuko look!" Katara says, pointing to a display that was selling various costumes. It took him a moment for him to realize what had caught his attention. A delicate white mask hung on the wall, red paint carefully created a design, on the forehead was a golden crescent moon. He recognized it from the stories his mother had read him about the Painted Lady, a symbol of home among the members of the Fire Nation. "Please, can I have it? I promise I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about it." He says, handing the teller a few coins for the mask as a group of costume clad kids run past him. Handing the mask to Katara, he was about to walk away when he spotted the familiar mask of the Blue Spirit sitting on the table. Lifting it, he tosses the man a few more coins before he and Katara venture back into the crowd.

"It really is beautiful out here." Katara says, looking around as the continued to make their way through the crowd. Paper lanterns and streamers lined the streets, people tended to decorate heavily for the holidays here in the capital. Especially, in the upper ring.

"This is my moms' favorite holiday." Zuko says, stopping to check out a dish that one of the vendors offered him. It appeared to be some kind of meat on a stick. Sokka would have loved it. "She used to bring us down here every day of the festival. After she disappeared Azula and I would sneak down here and watch the parade and the fireworks. That only lasted a couple years, after that she was more obsessed with her friends and training."

"I'm glad that you have some nice memories of your sister." Katara says, running her hand along the fabric of some dresses as she walks by. "It's a shame that the two of you were pitted against each other in that way."

Zuko shrugs. "There's no redemption between us now. We just don't trust each other."

"I hope that's not true. I feel bad for her sometimes."

"I'm sorry that Aang did that you." Zuko says, wanting to pull the conversation away from his younger sister. It made him feel better to pretend that she didn't exist sometimes. Things were a lot better when she wasn't around. "You deserve better."

"I don't know about that." Katara says, turning her eyes downwards. She still seemed a bit depressed, but at least she was interacting with him

"You do, Katara. You're such a good person, you don't deserve to be with someone who doesn't understand how lucky they are to have you."

A smile appears on her face, one that actually reaches her eyes. The sight makes Zuko's heart warm and a blush appears on his own cheeks. Turning away he pretends to have a sudden interest in a vendor who is selling various knives. He didn't have to be an expert to tell that the majority of them were badly made. Katara squeezes his hand gently as she steps up to stand beside him.

"I'm glad you're here, Katara. I really missed having you around. It gets kind of lonely around here."

"I'm glad I am here too, Zuko." She smiles, taking another bite of her food.

They roam around the city for a few hours, Zuko spends as much time as he can trying to get her to try the various foods that they had to offer. She seemed happy to try it and he was just happy to see her eat something other than the thin broth that she had come accustomed to.

As the sun started to set, the lights began to brighten the nights sky. The warm yellow glow of the lanterns lined the streets. Katara looked as if she had become lost in some wonderland. She walked around with her eyes raised skyward as he led her to the building that his family used to view the city. It offered what he considered to be the best view of every festival that the Fire Nation had to offer.

They stood side by side as the citizens released the floating paper lanterns, signifying the official start of the celebration. Katara shivers from the cool wind and without thinking, Zuko wraps his arms around her waist. His brain was telling him that what he was doing was wrong, but with Katara's body pressing back against his. The nagging was getting easier to ignore.

He hears her sigh contently, as she pushes herself a little closer to him. "It's nice up here." She says, her blue eyes sparkling with the reflection of the thousands of lanterns that floated through the air. "Thank you for bringing me here."

She turns around to face him, their faces were inches apart. He could feel her breath tickle his lips. Lifting his hand up, he pushes a loose strand of hair out of her face. Her eyes flickered down to his lips and then back up to his eyes. He pushes himself a little closer to her and he wonders if she can hear his heart beating. It was almost deafening to him. Katara places her hands on his chest, the left one lightly clutching the fabric of his shirt.

Leaning forward, Zuko rests his face in the crook of her neck. His lips barely brushing against her tanned skin. "You're not mine to kiss." He says, hoping that he hadn't completely misread the situation.

"I don't belong to anyone besides myself." She says, her hand tightening its grip on his shirt. Her lips moved against Zuko's neck as she spoke, sending chills down his spine.

"It's too soon." He says, regretting saying the words as they left his mouth. No matter how true they were. He places a kiss on Katara's cheek, one that landed on a small corner of her lips.

Pulling away, he keeps her in his arms. Her head falls to his chest as she watches the lanterns.

* * *

Katara stands in the bathroom of Zuko's old bedroom. The room was filled with the thick scent of the flower-scented oils that she had poured into the large tub. Crawling into the tub, she lays back in the water, her breast just underneath the surface, hidden by a thick blanket of bubbles. Steam rose from the water, fogging up the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. In her hand she held a small dagger that she had found while riffling through Zuko's childhood belongings.

Twisting the blade, she watches it glimmer in the candlelight. The events of what happened between her and Aang kept replaying in her head, as the did almost every night since it had all happened. She didn't want to be alone again. Zuko had been great, he hadn't once made a big deal about her practically begging for him to sleep with her at night. She couldn't keep asking him to do that. She was drowning, and she couldn't pull Zuko down with her.

She was going to disgrace her whole family. Suicide was deeply frowned upon in the Southern Water Tribe, they didn't even treat the act of cannibalism with such distain. In fact, they were held in two completely opposite views. Maybe Zuko would lie to them, tell them something else had killed her. She didn't want her brother to know the truth about what she did.

Grasping the hilt of the dagger firmly in her right hand, she drags it down her left wrist, watching the blood as it flows from her veins. A knock on the door makes her drop the dagger into the reddening water.

"Katara, are you in there?" Zuko's voice says, from the other side of the door.

"Y-yes." She replies, scrambling for the dagger. Please, don't come in.

"I was wondering if you would want to go out tonight…" He says, his voice sounding timid and unsure. It reminded her of when he joined the Gaang for the first time all those years ago. How she had hated his guts then, who would have guessed she would have been using him as a lifeline a few years later? "Like, maybe as a date…" She drops the dagger on the marble floor with a clatter. "If you don't want to, I completely understand. I get things were different a few weeks ago at the festival. You probably don't feel the same way. I don't want you to think that you have to do it just to make me happy. You won't have to leave if you don't want to do this."

"I would like that a lot, Zuko." She says, dipping her arm into the water and praying to the spirits that he wouldn't notice the glow of her powers. "I would like that a lot."

"Great!" He says, she can practically hear the smile in his voice. "I'll be back soon. I'm looking forward to seeing you."

Katara lifts her now flawless wrist out of the water. The door of her bedroom closes, letting her know that Zuko had walked out of the room. Pulling herself out of the tub, she looks at the blood-stained water that she had been soaking in. With a shudder, she pulls the plug.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Katara turns to look at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a beautiful red dress, one that had been made specifically made for her. It was one of the fancier items that Zuko had created for her. She figured that it would be nice to wear on her date with Zuko. Tucking her hair into place, she opens the door and almost runs into Zuko.

"You look amazing, Katara." He says, his eyes raking over her figure. He was dressed in some of his more formal clothes, making her feel better about dressing up. She had been concerned that she may be over doing it.

"So, do you." She smiles, looping her arm around his when he offers it to her.

It turned out that Zuko had a nice, quiet dinner planned at the Jasmine Dragon. The place was empty except for the two of them. Zuko had admitted to asking Iroh to reserve the whole place so that they could have some privacy.

For the first time in a long time, Katara enjoyed herself. Her and Zuko talked about their childhoods, exchanging stories about their mothers and the trouble that their siblings had gotten them into. She was able to relax and laugh, as the hours passed, she didn't think about Aang or how sad she was that he had hurt her. She didn't think about hurting herself. She didn't feel alone.

Before she knew it, he was sitting next to her and she was curled into his side as she recounted the time that Sokka had managed to get two fishing hooks stuck in his thumb. She was laughing happily when she turned to look at Zuko. His face was close to her own, he was giving her a look that made butterflies flutter in her stomach and a chill run up her spine.

Without a second thought, she pulled herself up and placed her lips to his. She feels him gasp against her mouth, she was about to pull back thinking that she had made a mistake, when his hand tangled into her hair and he pulled her closer. Her hands rest on his chest as he trails his up and down her back. Her hand cups his face, deepening the kiss.

"We should stop." She says, pulling her lips away and resting her forehead against his as she catches her breath.

"Is everything okay?" He asks, his breathing heavy. She could feel his excitement pressing up against her body. The small booth suddenly seemed a lot smaller and the temperature seemed to rise as the heat floods to her cheeks.

"I don't want you to think this Is just a fling for me." Katara says, resting her head on his shoulder. She didn't want to stop, she wanted a whole lot more, but it was too soon for that. She had just left Aang two months ago. She wasn't sure what the appropriate time was between being cheated on and sleeping with another guy, but this felt like a rush.

"It's okay." He says, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. "We can take as much time as you need. I'm not going anywhere. As long as you want me, I'm going to be here."

"Thank you, Zuko."

 **A/N: I know I said something about longer chapters, but I felt like I needed to pump out another one today. It could probably be considered a filler chapter, but then again there are a few important things in this chapter. I had originally written their first time in this chapter, but it felt all kinds of wrong at this time. So, it will be later on in the story.**

 **I hope you like it. Leave me a comment and let me know.**


End file.
